Bamzit Macwerk
Bamzit Macwerk is a young Steamwheedle goblin of skinny build with scruffy black hair and light-purple eyes, cast out of the goblin's home island of Kezan by the Cataclysm and Mount Kajaro's subsequent eruption. While he himself was fortunate enough to escape the destruction, his business and livelihood were not so lucky. He has been largely unsuccessful ever since, and had been reduced to begging on the streets often. He recently went missing, shortly after the discovery of a new continent said to be shrouded by thick mists reached the goblins' ears. Childhood Bamzit Macwerk was born to his mother and alchemist Neesa Macwerk and his father and merchant Calzik Macwerk some twenty-two years ago on Kezan, around the same time the humans and their Alliance of Lordaeron successfully ended the Second War. His parents loved each other, though in reality it is the modest living they managed to make off of the other that kept them together: Neesa was a skilled alchemist with the means to supply a business operation, whereas Calzik had a clever tongue and could market her wares more effectively than she. Together they started their very own shop, Fizzyvial Wurks. Consequently, Bamzit was given a better childhood than most goblins could hope for. He was fed and taken care of, though in exchange for their alleged coddling he was put to work in his parents' shop from an early age. There Bamzit was taught of the business world by his father, who encouraged his son to one day succeed his business and then remember who helped him reach greatness - and in turn, give that man a pension. From this he learned to handle money: by the time he was eight, he worked the cash register in his parents' shop daily while his father shifted to marketing their goods abroad. They wanted to encourage their son to become a successful businessman, yet they were stingy: his parents closely scrutinized every macaroon that came into the shop, always ensuring that Bamzit was not short-changing their profits. In exchange for his work they offered him a menial salary, though warned that should he steal from them he would be forced to pay them back in double, also warning that they would find out no matter what he attempted. Pubescence As all goblins begin to mature, so too do their ambitions. Bamzit began to develop his individuality once he struck puberty, no longer a smiling boy reciting a few memorized lines and numbers to every customer: His face and hair became greasy, his appetite increased substantially, and he began to overestimate himself. For a time, he grew disinterested with his occupation and sought out friends with whom he could compare and seek great fortune, likely an early effort to emulate his father's teachings. While out on one such venture through his neighborhood, a disorganized "suburbs" where many goblins made a living from their homes long since converted into shops, Bamzit stumbled upon and met the son of a shopkeeper who would later become his best friend, another goblin boy named Giztek Selzguds. Giztek Selzguds Most goblin communities are active, in a sense. Many goblins come and go all the time, so it was not unexpected for Bamzit to meet another goblin his age whom he had never previously known. This goblin, Giztek Selzguds, made an eccentric first impression on the youthful Bamzit: He was playful, and spoke with silly business terminology as though he were an official. He claimed almost immediately upon their meeting that he was "the boss of this turf", and asserted that non-business associates were not allowed. Bamzit replied stubbornly, insisting that his parents were nearby shop owners and that he had as much right to this turf as any, to which Giztek flashed his disorganized and yellowed teeth –'' and extended his hand for a shake. It did not take long for the pair to bond afterward. Giztek was eager to learn more about the business world and asked much about the Macwerks' business, even listening to Bamzit's frustration with his parents meager pay politely. Giztek proved to be, for his playfulness, a curious boy who took a keen interest in others' affairs. Bamzit recalled that his father considers this a successful trait in businessmen, and one day asked Giztek just what sort of business his father and he operate, though more importantly, how much he was paid for it. Giztek frowned, and the seed of something malicious was planted in their budding friendship from that moment onward. Side-Business Bamzit and Giztek had, on that day, confessed to each other a mutual dissatisfaction for the meager wage they earned working for their parents. When Bamzit suggested that they seek second jobs, Giztek denied the idea as "inefficient and unprofitable - a shame to goblins everywhere!" and flaunted with wide-open eyes an ingenious idea he claimed to have just hatched. At his friend's curiosity, Giztek proposed that they reconvene at an abandoned shop the next day where he would have a brilliant plan laid out: one that would make the both of them rich. Giztek had in fact learned a great deal about Bamzit's dealings at his parent's shop, as he had visited the shop before and understood that Bamzit operated the cash register unmonitored. When they met up, Giztek instantly jumped into an elaborate plan built upon the many questions he had asked Bamzit. He proposed that Bamzit would sell his mother's potions as always, however he would not actually allow them to leave the shop. At the counter of the cash register, Bamzit would take advantage of his stubby height to pull the potions beneath the counter in order to "bag" them, at which point he would swap the real potion with a fake replica made with his mother's various dyes and water. After the customer leaves, Bamzit would return the potion to the shelves and keep the full profit for himself. Bamzit, not realizing how grand a plot this was from a teenager, praised Giztek for his flexible thinking and seemed eager to put this into action, however he lamented the fact that he had been unable to think up a way for Giztek to make a profit off of his own father. Giztek simply grinned at his friend and said that he would not tell the Macwerk parents of these dealings in exchange for half of the profit, a deal Bamzit found himself ultimately agreeing to. Within the next few days, Bamzit had crafted several artificial potions using his mother's vials, dyes and other basic ingredients to emulate her authentic products. He planned his swindling accordingly, and indeed fooled the average customer: he had worked at the cash register for years now, and could distinguish who to dupe and who not to from among his parents' clientele. However, he was unable to escape the cautious eye of his mother, who noticed within the first week after taking inventory that she was missing ingredients. Although Bamzit was able to suggest his mother had miscalculated, his father began to worry over a drop in sales and remained at the shop for longer hours, further complicating Bamzit's goals. A Fizzyvial Reaction Bamzit would continue to fabricate potions on a smaller scale for a month, narrowly avoiding his parents' growing concerns. This lasted until early one day, on a convenient morning where both of Bamzit's parents had gone into town and claimed they would not be back until midday, Bamzit awoke and set about his day's routine. Using his mother's alchemy laboratory, he prepared for the shop's opening by concocting more of his artificial potions which he stored beneath the counter. To Bamzit's surprise, Giztek wandered into the store shortly after its opening. Despite having never taken a keen interest in Bamzit's actual business affairs, he claimed that he had the day off and wanted to observe Bamzit's dealings. Agreeing that it would be fun – at least until midday when his parents would return – he allowed Giztek to join him behind the counter. Not long afterward, a middle-aged goblin in a modest tuxedo entered the shop and, with a confident swagger, plucked a single red vial from the shelves before approaching Bamzit and offering the boy a wrinkled grin. In an attempt to show off, Bamzit elegantly pulled the vial beneath the counter after the man paid and began to "bag" it. Curiously, as soon as Bamzit took an artificial vial in his hands a similarly youthful hand wrapped around his and forcefully held it up into the air: as Giztek began to excitedly shout "Caught ya, caught ya!" the middle-aged goblin bellowed a triumphant giggle, watching the spectacle amusedly. As if on cue, and to Bamzit's confused dismay, Calzik and Neesa Macwerk emerged from their hiding in the next room over and raced over to their son, snatching the fake potion from his hands to confirm for themselves that their son had indeed been swindling them. Calzik Macwerk had, on many occasions, warned his son against scammers . . . but never scamming itself. As this reality stung the environment with an overwhelming bitterness, the middle-aged goblin straightened his tie and spoke. His raspy voice formed a demand; with the corners of his lips curling in a devious smile, he promised to keep their business's fraudulence a secret. For a considerable price. The ensuing argument ended with poisonous betrayal and defeat: Giztek, whom Bamzit considered a trustworthy friend, had sold him out to his parents, who were now forced to pay this man, apparently Giztek's father and a con artist, for this secret. As they were finally about to leave the shop together, the middle-aged goblin stopped at the door, gave Giztek a pat on the shoulder and called out over his own shoulder, "Ain't kids a wonderful thing?" before stepping outside, leaving only a nasty cackle behind. Early Coming After the truth of Bamzit's scandal was uncovered, his parents turned on him in anger and locked him away in his room, saying they would let him out once they found somebody else to "apprentice" him to. With only his bed, a few toys, and the bruises his father had given him, Bamzit brooded over what had happened in the confinement of his bedroom for a day and a night without food. '''unfinished product' Category:Goblin Category:Steamwheedle Cartel Category:Back story